


All That I Can Call My Own

by Mauve_Avenger



Series: Out of Yesterday's Ashes [4]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Minor Character Death
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-22
Updated: 2019-11-22
Packaged: 2021-02-26 01:40:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 16,737
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21525385
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mauve_Avenger/pseuds/Mauve_Avenger
Summary: In the aftermath of the failed invasion, the Gaang retreats and Zuko discovers that he's lost his bending.
Relationships: Katara/Zuko (Avatar), The Gaang & Zuko (Avatar)
Series: Out of Yesterday's Ashes [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1363831
Comments: 11
Kudos: 237





	All That I Can Call My Own

  
  


Sokka and Zuko caught up with the others when Aang set Appa down for the night. Katara rushed at her brother as soon as the two stepped out of the airship, but Zuko was surprised to find himself receiving a hug, too. 

"Where are the others?" she demanded after she pulled away from Zuko. "Where's Dad?" 

The strained silence weighed heavily in the air. Neither Sokka nor Zuko would meet Katara's eye. It was enough to suggest the worst, but she needed to hear it.

"What happened?"she asked in a low voice. 

"The invasion failed," Sokka told her. Katara's eyes flashed dangerously.

"I  _ know _ that," she snapped. "Where is everyone else?"

"They were captured." Katara didn't react to the news. Behind her, the other kids were unloading the scant camping supplies. She heard Toph giving orders before she and Aang slid down Appa’s side and joined their friends by the airship. 

“Everyone?” Katara managed to force out. Sokka shook his head. 

“We don’t know,” he told her. “I think the swamp benders got away.”

“They distracted the soldiers so we could escape,” Zuko explained. Katara’s jaw stiffened, and she nodded. Sacrifice was a familiar refrain to her. 

“There’s…there’s something else.” Sokka’s voice hitched. There was a tightness to his face that was also familiar to Katara, though she hadn’t seen it in years. Her instinct was to cover her ears, but she wasn’t sure why. 

“What happened?” She was wary. She had to know. “Just tell me!” 

“Bato…” Sokka blinked hard against tears. A lump in his throat made it impossible to continue, but he didn’t have to. 

“No!” Katara cried as her knees gave way to the weight of her anguish. “No, no,no!” Toph was closest to Katara. She caught her friend as she crumpled to the ground. Sokka came around to her other side and half carried her to the airship, away from the curious eyes of the others. 

“What happened?” Katara asked when they made it to the far side of the airship. 

"They were ready for us," Sokka replied. 'It was a trap." Katara gasped and looked over towards where Zuko was helping the last of the Freedom Fighters down from Appa's saddle. Sokka shook his head.

"Not him," he explained. "The Dai Li told Azula about the plan. They were in the planning meetings." 

"Oh, right." Katara felt her face heat in embarrassment. Sokka was watching her carefully.

"You  _ do  _ trust him, right?" he asked. "Because he's really only here on  _ your _ word. Dad trusted him because you trusted him. But if you tell me you don't trust him, we can ditch him right here." Katara shook her head vehemently.

"I trust him," Katara assured Sokka. "I do. It's just old habits die hard, is all." Sokka nodded slowly.

"Alright," he replied. Then he sighed and sagged against the ship. Katara broke the silence first. 

"I can't believe Bato's gone." Her voice was thick with tears. She turned to Sokka sharply. "What about Dad?" Sokka took a deep breath and sank to the ground, resting his back against the body of the airship. 

"They surrendered," he told Katara. "He distracted the guards long enough for us to get away. Zuko says that Dad and the other prisoners are going to be taken to a prison. They'll have a  _ 'trial' _ -" he brought his hands up and made air quotes with his pointer and middle fingers. "Something public probably, to make an example of them." 

Katara's breath hitched and she grasped at her necklace. Her mother was gone, and it looked like her father would be soon, too. She looked down at her brother through a film of tears.

"What'll we do?" Katara whispered. Sokka shook his head. 

"We have to move," he said. "We're still too close to the palace, and Ozai will be looking for us. We get someplace safe, and then we come up with a plan." 

It wasn't much, but both siblings felt better for having a course of action. Sokka climbed to his feet and headed towards the others. He paused once and looked over his shoulder at Katara.

"Are you coming?" 

"I need a minute," she said. Sokka took in her still watering eyes and the pinched corners of her mouth and nodded.

"As long as you need."

Sokka was good on his word. Katara wasn't sure how long she sat there behind the airship, but the sun had nearly set by the time she felt ready to face the group. Her stomach told her that it was time to start dinner anyway.

"Hey." Katara turned to see Zuko at the other end of the ship, holding a bowl. He held it out to her. "I brought you dinner." 

"Huh?" Katara looked from the bowl to Zuko on confusion. It was hard to tell in the dimming evening light, but Katara thought he was blushing a bit.

"I- I wasn't sure if you were up for eating with everyone tonight," he explained. "I thought maybe you still wanted to be alone. But if you don't-"

"No, it's fine," Katara said. She accepted the bowl gratefully and took a sip of the broth. It reminded her of a stew from the South, but made with gerbil hare instead of seal. Katara blinked hard against the sudden taste of home. "Who made this? Sokka?"

"Um... I did, actually." Zuko dropped his eyes and shuffled self-consciously. Katara nearly laughed in spite of herself.  _ This  _ was the boy they had feared for so long. "Bato showed me how to make some Southern Tribe dishes. I thought…Oh! No, I didn't mean to upset you. I just…"

Katara fought hard against her tears, but she suddenly couldn't breathe. A few choked sobs managed to escape her throat. Meanwhile, Zuko seemed on the verge of true panic. He took the steaming bowl from Katara and set it on the railing of the airship.

"I'm sorry," Zuko groaned. "That was stupid. Do you want your brother?" Katara caught the end of his shirt as he started to rush off.

"It's fine," she said. Zuko took him the tears streaming down her face doubtfully, but he turned around and stopped trying to flee. 

"Bato…," he started hesitantly. "Bato was a good man. I'm sorry." Katara nodded, crying too hard to say anything. Unsure of what to do, Zuko reached for Katara's hand hesitantly. When she didn't pull away, Zuko tightened his grip. He couldn't think of anything else to say, so they sat there quietly until Katara stopped crying.

"I'm sorry I upset you," Zuko said quietly, breaking a long stretch of silence. "I just thought maybe you and Sokka wanted comfort food... that's stupid."

"No." Katara managed a small smile. "It was...it was thoughtful. I just... I'm going to miss him so much. Bato is... was family." Katara reached up with her free hand and wiped her face. Zuko was still holding her other hand. He wasn't sure if he should let it go, or acknowledge it at all. 

"Did Sokka appreciate it?" Katara asked. She hadn't moved to let his hand go, so Zuko decided not to move either.

"I don't think he noticed," he admitted. Katara let out a short hiccupy laugh. 

"That's my brother," she hummed. Finally, Katara released Zuko's hand and grabbed her stew. "Have you eaten yet?" 

"Oh! Um...no," Zuko replied. Katara gestured with her head towards the camp. 

"Let's go then."

"Are you sure you want to go back?" Zuko asked. Katara nodded.

"I think I'm all cried out for now," she said. 

"Ok." Zuko trailed behind her a few paces, them stopped short when she did. She cast one brief glance back at him and took a deep shuddering breath.

"Thanks," she said. "For everything."

-:-:-:-:-:-:-

Sokka insisted on keeping the airship, and since there was no time to argue, he won. In the end, he along with Zuko (who knew how to fly the ship) and Haru (who didn't) followed the others on Appa. Sokka and Haru congratulated each other on escaping being crowded among what was becoming something between a daycare and an asylum. 

Zuko taught them how to fly and put them to work helping him keep their ship airborne. Sokka took to it immediately, and spent a lot of their time asking questions about the finer details of flying. There wasn't a whole lot more to the conversation on the ship. Privately, Haru thought that maybe he would have been better off on Appa after the first few hours. Sure it was crowded and noisy, but it was less work, and Katara being there was a welcome bonus. He suggested switching spots with someone else on Appa, but Zuko insisted on keeping the division they already had. He didn't want to have to teach anyone else how to fly the ship. Not until they reached their destination, at least.

They reached the Western Air Temple two days later. In that time, Zuko managed to find acceptance among the group much easier than he expected. Two days in the air ship with Sokka and Haru had bonded the three boys in something like a friendship. That along with Katara’s influence made things smoother with the rest of the group, though it turned out that Zuko didn’t really need the buffer. Aang was excited to have a new friend. Toph was glad to have someone to complain about the difficulty of growing up in high society with. Katara was glad to have someone around who she didn't have to fight to do their share of chores. In fact, she rarely even had to ask him to do anything.

"When I was on the ship, everyone pitched in," Zuko told her when he offered to cook dinner the second night of their journey. "We had to, or it would have been a disaster."

"Can you tell that to all of them?" Katara gestured to their companions. They had set up their sleeping areas and were lounging around the fire while Katara and Zuko went over their scant supplies to figure out how to pull together dinner for the group of nine. 

The others were almost as new to the group as Zuko. They more or less accepted him readily- although Teo was a bit skittish around him. By the time they reached the Air Temple, Zuko was officially part of the team. 

By tacit agreement, it was decided that the group would wait until they made it safely to the Air Temple before they began planning their next moves. Also by tacit agreement, it was decided among the newcomers that that meeting was for the core Gaang. Once they landed, freed Appa to drink from the fountain in the courtyard, and had a quick lunch, the Freedom Fighters shot off down a stone corridor, half pushing, half riding Teo’s wheelchair. Their laughter rang off the walls as they rushed off to explore their temporary home. Aang hadn’t understood either agreement, and started after his new friends when Katara caught the back of his shirt. 

“Hold on,” she said. “We’re having a meeting.” 

“Aw!” Aang complained. “We just got here. Can’t we do it later?” 

“We need a plan,” Sokka told him, coming up beside his sister. His voice was tight, as if he was trying not to yell. “You kind of have to be here,  _ Avatar _ .” 

“But we can’t do anything right now.” Aang stopped just short of a whine, but only just. "Come on! Let me show you around first, at least."

"We can do that later," Katara said sternly. She folded her arms across her chest. "Right now we need to figure out what we're doing next."

"We  _ just  _ got here," Aang argued. Katara was unmoved. She narrowed her eyes in a way that Aang had only seen right before she went into battle. 

"It's already been two days! Do you really think the Fire Nation is just waiting? You think Ozai is sitting in his garden drinking tea?" Katara turned to Zuko and motioned for him to say something.

"She's right," Zuko told Aang. "We need to be prepared." Aang let out an uncharacteristic huff of annoyance. His face twisted into a scowl as he turned away from his friends, tightening his grip on his glider.

"Well, a couple of hours isn't going to make a difference," he insisted. "Besides, we can't have a meeting without everyone. I'll go get them." Aang took off running down the hall, following the sounds of laughter. 

"Aang!" Katara started off after him. If she had to drag him back by his ear, she would. 

"Forget it," Toph called out. "We'll get more done without him." Katara gestured wildly towards where Aang had disappeared.

"But he-" 

“We don’t need him right now,” Zuko assured Katara. He reached out hesitantly and placed a hand on her shoulder. It was meant to be comforting, but Zuko just felt awkward. Katara didn't seem to notice. She glared after Aang's retreating back. Her shoulder trembled under Zuko's hand, and he was certain that had she been a fire bender, her skin would be searing. She was furious. 

"My dad...Bato...  _ everyone _ put their lives on the line for Aang, and he wants to go  _ play _ ?" 

"It's fine," Sokka told her. He came up to her other side, his own annoyance forgotten for the moment. "Zuko's right. We don't need Aang right now."

"Let's be real honest," Toph added, "it's not like he's going to have much to add here." Katara shut her eyes and took in a deep shuddering breath. Then another. Finally she unclenched her fists and pulled away from Zuko.

"Alright," she relented. "But someone needs to have a serious talk with him about his priorities."

"Gladly," Toph muttered darkly. She smirked and cracked her knuckles. "We have to train at some point." 

Katara huffed and ran her hands over her face. Tears burned her eyes, and for what must have been the hundredth time since the failed invasion, she fought back tears. Sokka put his arm around her shoulders and squeezed them comfortingly. 

"We're going to end this war," he promised his sister. "And if we have to use Aang's hard head as a battering ram, we'll do it." That got a chuckle from the other three. The tension wasn't gone, but it had lifted enough that Katara thought she could speak without crying. 

"If we're going to work, I want a snack," Toph declared. 

"We  _ just  _ had lunch. You're as bad as Sokka." Katara rubbed her temple, but didn't stop Toph from taking a handful of lychee nuts from their supplies. 

The four settled beside Appa, Toph with her snack, Sokka with his charts and papers. Zuko had spent some time with him on their journey working out a course of action. He knew Sokka didn't really need to look at them again. The young Water Tribe strategist knew them by memory. Still, he laid out his work with a grim twist of his lips.

"It doesn't look great," he admitted. "Sozin's Comet is only three months away, and Aang still has to master fire."

"He hasn't mastered earth yet," Toph said. "If we're being brutally honest." 

"He needs work on water, too," Katara added hesitantly. "He's mastered the basics, but…"

"He's being lazy?" Toph offered. Katara nodded reluctantly. Aang could be as good as Katara if he tried. He had the talent and a lot of imagination, but he didn't work as hard for it. 

"Once he gets the fire bending basics, we should combine training," Zuko suggested. Toph nodded.

"That oughta keep him on his toes." She popped a lychee in her mouth and chewed the sweet fruit thoughtfully. "That should be our focus for now. Getting him to master all the elements. I really hope he's enjoying himself right now. It'll be the last bit of free time he gets for a long time."

"We can't overdo it, Toph," Katara warned. "Aang doesn't respond well to being pushed too hard.” 

"Coddling him isn't the answer, Sugar Queen," Toph snapped. "Ever think that all that coddling is why he doesn't respect you now?" Katara flinched at that.

"That's not true!"

"Yes it is," Toph insisted. "Aang taking off just now when you were trying to get him to sit in on this meeting was insanely disrespectful. It's disrespect that he knows better than to show me. Because I don't let him get away with it like you do." Katara clenched her jaw angrily. The water in the fountain sloshed with her ire causing Appa to back away with a disgruntled snort.

"I do  _ not _ let him disrespect me," she nearly growled through her teeth.

"Yes you do. And it's sick because he is the only one that you let treat you that way. If I had done what he just did, you would have gone into super Momtara mode." Katara set her face mulishly and geared herself up for an argument she knew there wasn't time for. Sokka cleared his throat nervously.

"She's not wrong," he said. Katara rounded on him. 

"Really?' she snapped. "You think I allow Aang to disrespect me?" Sokka winced. Katara wasn't yelling, but her voice had a cold edge to it, like one of her ice blades. But Sokka met her eye bravely. She needed to hear the truth.

"Yeah," he said. "I know you don’t mean to, but you do let Aang get away with a lot." Katara glared at her brother, and then suddenly turned to Zuko.

"You agree with them?" she demanded. Zuko held his hands up protectively.

"I _ just _ got here," he said. "I don't know what the dynamics here yet," (Toph snorted and muttered _ coward  _ under her breath), " _ but _ what Aang just did shows that he doesn't appreciate how serious this situation is, or what your... your friends sacrificed for him."

"Of course he doesn't get how serious it is!" Katara rose to her feet and glared at her friends. "He's a kid! He's just a kid who didn't grow up with this war. I should be more like you?" Katara jabbed her hand at Toph. 

"I think everyone could stand to be a little more like me," Toph said with a shrug. "But since we can't all be perfect, why don't you try being more like you?"

"What do you mean?" Katara huffed. 

"I'm talking about growing a spine and putting your foot down with Aang. Like you did with me. And when that guy Pakku wouldn't teach you waterbending because you're a girl. Or was that an exaggeration?"

Katara was silent for a long moment. She crossed her arms and scowled out in the distance. She took in a deep breath and huffed through her nose. 

“Whatever,” she muttered. “Let’s just finish this.”

There wasn’t much left to discuss after that. Zuko, Toph and Katara worked out a training schedule for Aang. Sokka sent a letter by Hawky to Pakku and the rest of the White Lotus. He offered to send a letter for Zuko to Iroh as well, but Zuko declined before returning to his conversation with Toph about the best strategy for teaching Aang.

It was almost time for dinner before the others returned, tired from exploring and damp from jumping into one of the temple’s ponds. Katara eyed them with annoyance. Aang had at least the grace to look sheepish as he accepted the bowl of vegetable stew that Katara held out to him. 

“Should we talk about our plans now?” Aang asked timidly. He was trying to make peace. Katara wanted to slap him. She gritted her teeth and curled her hands into tight fists. 

“The plan is that you’re going to start training with Zuko tomorrow morning,” she told him coldly. “I’d get some sleep if I were you.” She got her bowl and headed to the other side of the fire by Toph and Sokka before Aang could respond. He turned to Zuko with his grey eyes wide with surprise. 

“Is she mad at me?” he half whispered. Zuko raised his good brow. 

“That’s something you should ask her yourself,” he said. “But she’s right about you getting rest. We’re getting up at dawn to meditate.” 

“Oh!” Aang blinked at Zuko and rubbed the back of his neck. “I usually meditate before bed.” Zuko shrugged. 

“You still can,” he said. “But you’re also going to start meditating at sunrise for an hour before we start with the forms.” Aang’s face fell and he looked around the fire for support. Katara was deep in conversation with her brother and wouldn’t look at him. Toph was chatting with Haru, but she had heard Zuko and Aang’s conversation. She turned towards him with a wicked grin. Teo and the Freedom Fighters weren’t paying attention at all and probably wouldn’t have cared if they had been. Aang turned back to Zuko pleadingly. 

“Does it  _ have  _ to be dawn?” he asked. “Can’t we start after breakfast?” Zuko folded his arms and narrowed his eyes at Aang. 

“When did this become a negotiation?” he asked. “I said dawn. It’s not up for discussion. You have two months to master firebending. You don’t have time to be lazy. Am I clear?” Aang looked away and scowled at the ground, but he nodded at last. 

“Clear,” he muttered. From across the fire, Toph whistled loudly. 

“That’s right Sparky!” she cheered. “Tell him who’s boss right off.” Aang’s face flushed and his head flew up. He glared at Toph, but probably the worst thing was Katara’s reaction. The exchange had gotten her attention, but instead of coming to his defense like she had when Toph started teaching him, she seemed to be hiding an amused smile. She caught Zuko’s eye and nodded her approval. Aang wanted to slink off and hide. 

“Hey,” Toph said snapping at Aang. “Sparky’s only got you for the morning. After lunch, we’re going to work on earthbending. All afternoon.” Aang’s shoulders slumped forward. 

“That’s way too much,” Aang protested. Toph, predictably was unmoved.

“Three months until the comet, Twinkle Toes,” she reminded him. “If you have a problem with it, maybe you should have stuck around to plan with us.” Toph shrugged carelessly and dug into her meal. She was done with the conversation, and Aang knew it would be fruitless to try to push any further. He would try to talk to Katara alone later. She would take his side once he explained himself. After all, they couldn’t expect him spend  _ all _ his days training. With that thought, Aang finished the rest of his stew and scrambled over to Appa’s saddle for an after dinner treat. He dug through one of the bags with a growing frown. 

“Hey!” Aang cried. “Who ate all the lychees?” 

-:-:-:-:-:- 

After dinner, the company spent an hour exploring the temple. The most interesting discovery was the bedrooms. There were more than enough for everyone to have their own rooms, and while Aang and the Freedom Fighters preferred to share, everyone else happily claimed their own spaces in the same hall. 

That night the moon was almost full, and Katara was restless. Despite the exhausting two days of travel, Katara found herself wandering the halls of the Western Air temple while the others slept. The temple was built in a circle, she realized, and eventually she made her way to the main courtyard, where Appa slept. He wasn’t alone. 

“What are you still doing up?” Katara asked Zuko as she came up behind him. Zuko sat at the edge of the stone ledge, his legs dangling in the air. The valley stretched out before him, hidden in a bank of low lying clouds. The bright gibbous moon hung high in she air, giving everything in a silvery grey glow. 

“I couldn’t sleep,” Zuko told her. Katara sat next to him, one leg hanging over the edge and the other hugged to her chest. She rested her head on her knee and looked over at Zuko. 

"Are you okay?" Zuko glanced over at her and shrugged.

“Everything just finally caught up to me,” he explained. “I haven’t had much time to process, and now I do and I can’t sleep. What about you?” Katara sighed and motioned towards the moon with her chin. 

“The closer it gets to a full moon, the harder it is for me to sleep,” she told him. “I’ll probably be up all night for the next few days. But good luck getting me up in the morning.” She smiled at Zuko ruefully. “Sorry, but you're all on your own for breakfast.” 

“We’ll be fine,” Zuko promised. The way he saw it, either everyone figured out what to do for breakfast, or they would go hungry for a few hours. It wouldn’t hurt them, and maybe it would inspire them to help more with the daily chores if they weren’t so dependent on Katara for everything. 

The pair sat in companionable silence. It was nice, Zuko thought. Peaceful in a way that he hadn’t experienced since he was a child. He took in a deep breath and sighed, closing his eyes against a gentle night breeze. Katara watched him quietly and tried to read his face. She wasn’t sure if his face was inscrutable, or if she just didn’t know his expressions well enough yet. After all they had been through, it was easy to forget that they had known each other for a little under a year. And they had only been on friendly terms for less than half that time, and most of that time had been spent apart. Zuko was still a puzzle to Katara, and although she trusted him with her life- a trust he had more than earned- she knew hardly anything about him. 

“Something on your mind?” Katara murmured after she felt the silence had lasted long enough. Zuko opened his eyes and found Katara watching him with a mix of curiosity and concern. 

“Just thinking about home,” Zuko admitted. Katara’s brows knit together. Zuko couldn’t tell if she was upset or commiserating.

“Do you miss it?” she asked. Zuko sighed and looked out over the cloud covered valley. 

“I don’t know,” he said. “It's just... hadn't been home in over three years. And now-" Katara bit her bottom lip and nodded.

"That had to be rough," she murmured. “I know if I was that close to home...to have to leave again…” 

"It was...weird," Zuko admitted. "I- I don't have that many happy memories there." Katara didn't know what to say to that. If she knew Zuko better, she would have hugged him. The way he sat, shoulders hunched uncomfortably, head angled away from her as if he were embarrassed by the partial confession, made her want to hug him anyway. She settled for slipping her hand in his, the way he had done for her. He curled his fingers around hers and Katara took that as a sign that it was the right thing to do.

"I'm sorry," she said. Zuko turned to her, his mouth drawn down at the corners.

“It wasn’t  _ all _ bad,” he assured her. “Before my mother...when I was younger, I spent a lot of time in the gardens with my mother. She used to take me and my sister there to feed the turtle ducks before things went really wrong. After she was gone, I would go there to meditate. Up until…" Zuko cleared his throat and turned his gaze towards the fire pit. "It was the most peaceful spot in the palace.”

Zuko could feel Katara’s staring at his profile. He had to resist the urge to scratch his cheek. She had questions, he knew. And from the way her eyes traced his scar, he knew what the biggest question was. Finally, she looked away, following his gaze over the moonlit clouds. 

“I’ve only seen the gardens in Ba Sing Se,” she said at last. Zuko blinked in surprise, but kept watching the clouds. He grunted in acknowledgement. 

“I didn’t get to see them,” he told her. “But I heard they were really nice.” Katara nodded in agreement. 

“They were.” She breathed in and turned back to Zuko. “Tell me about your garden.” This time Zuko couldn’t help himself. He spun towards Katara abruptly and tottered dangerously on the precipice of the cliff. Katara’s deceptively strong grip clamped on the back of his shirt and his bicep as she steadied him. Her eyes were wide in bewildered horror. 

“What was  _ that _ ?” she asked with an incredulous laugh. Zuko’s heart thudded in his chest and his cheeks flushed with embarrassment. 

“S-sorry,” he stammered. “I- I thought you were going to ask about…I wasn’t expecting...that question.” 

“I see that.” Katara released Zuko slowly with a nervous chuckle. "Maybe we should-" She motioned back towards Appa with her thumb. Zuko agreed and scrambled to his feet. He offered Katara his hand and helped her up. Appa lifted his head and glanced back at them as they settled into his side. When they stopped moving, he let out a deep grumbly groan and dropped his head between his front paws. A moment later, he was asleep again. Katara curled up on her side in Appa's fur, facing Zuko. He fiddled with his hands and tried to ignore the curiosity he could sense rolling off of her in waves.

“You thought I was going to ask about your scar?” she guessed after a long stretch of silence. Zuko’s eyes darted towards her and he shrugged.

“Aren't you?” he asked. Katara shifted so her arm pillowed her head. 

“I want to know how it happened,” she confessed. “But you don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to. I can ask the others not to bother you about it either.” Zuko turned to face her. Katara radiated openness and concern. She was telling the truth, Zuko realized. She wouldn’t press for an answer, even though it was clear she wanted to know. 

“I…” Zuko started hesitantly. He didn’t know why it was so hard. After all, he had told Hakoda about it and it hadn’t hurt. It had actually made Zuko feel better. Iroh had spent years trying to get him to believe that talking would make his load easier to bear. Still, he couldn’t bring himself to tell Katara about it. Not that night with it’s peaceful quiet, and Appa’s fur making a comfortable warm nest beneath them. Zuko dropped his eyes from Katara’s. 

“I do want to tell you,” he told her. “But-”

“When you’re ready,” she said. She reached out and absently traced patterns in Appa’s fur near Zuko’s hand. Close enough that he could take it if he wanted. Zuko froze. Did she  _ want  _ him to take her hand?

Abruptly, Katara stopped. She pulled her hand back and tucked it beneath her chin.

“Will you tell me about your garden?” 

She had gone back to a topic that seemed safer. Zuko supposed it was. Ozai didn’t spend much time in the garden, so it held the fewest unhappy memories. Zuko slid his hands deeper into Appa’s fur and leaned back into the beast’s side. 

"There are a few gardens at the palace, actually," Zuko told Katara. "Most of them are open to the public, but there's one in our wing of the palace- the private family wing. My mom kind of made it her pet project. She designed it and did as much of the gardening as she could herself. It was pretty simple compared to the others, but it was beautiful. 

"We don't have gardens at home," Katara said thoughtfully. "The Northern Tribe has the Spirit Oasis, but there is nothing like that at home. Our summers are too short for anything except grasses and shrubs to grow. There’s a forest further inland, but it’s a two day trip from our village." Katara's voice had gone wistful and soft. Zuko thought he recognized homesickness, something he knew all too well. Zuko glanced over at her and met her eyes. She smiled encouragingly. 

"My mom loved flowers," Zuko continued. "The garden was full of her favorites. But I loved the pond. There were families of turtle ducks living there that my mother and I would feed together. Azula, too, when we were really young." Katara sat up, her brows climbing to her hairline in disbelief.

"Your  _ sister _ liked feeding birds?" 

"She wasn't  _ alway _ s so…" Zuko shrugged helplessly, unable to find the right word. Katara seemed to understand, though. She nodded sympathetically.

"Is the garden still there?" She asked. 

"I don't know," Zuko sighed. "After my mom…I was the only one who spent time there after she was gone. I liked to meditate by the pond. But I've been gone for three years. I don't know if anyone bothered to keep it up. My father certainly wouldn't care." 

The thought was surprisingly painful. Like discovering a bruise and not remembering being hit in the first place. Zuko brought his knees to his chest and hid his face in his arms. After a moment, he heard Katara moving. Then her hand closed around his shoulder gently. Comfortingly. Zuko sat up and his mouth went dry. Her eyes- as always intense and penetrating- seemed almost silver in the moonlight. 

"We're going to defeat the Fire Lord." Katara said this with such certainty that Zuko could only nod in agreement. 

"Yeah," he murmured. He didn't sound nearly as convincing as Katara, but he wouldn't allow himself consider losing. 

"When this is all over," Katara almost whispered. "When the war ends, will you show me the pond?"

"Yes," Zuko promised quickly. Katara smiled and stood up, offering Zuko her hand. He took it and let her haul him to his feet. 

"You should get some rest," she told him. "Don't forget, you have to get Aang up at dawn." Zuko groaned and headed back to his room. He paused when he realized Katara wasn't behind him.

"Aren't you going to bed?" he asked. Katara glanced over her shoulder at the moon still high in the sky. She turned back to him with a smile.

"Eventually," she told him. "I rise with the moon, remember?" Zuko thought she winked, but it could have been a trick of the shadows. With a mumble goodnight and a wave, Zuko left Katara to the company of the moon. 

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

Zuko didn’t realize there was a problem until after he and Aang had finished meditating. By then, the sun had long since risen, and most of the others were up and scrounging for breakfast. Longshot, Smellerbee and Toph wandered over to the space where Zuko and Aang were about to begin going through the basic forms. 

Despite the two hours of meditation, Aang still seemed reluctant to begin training. For an hour, Aang refused to begin. At first it was because he hadn’t had breakfast. Then Appa needed tending. Then he got side tracked by wondering why Katara wasn’t up yet. It was beginning to irritate Zuko. Around the time he felt his patience with the young Avatar wear gossamer thin, his uncle flashed in his mind.

_ How would Uncle do this? _ Zuko wondered to himself. Finally, he sighed and ran his hand over his face. 

“Why don’t you want to learn fire bending?” he asked Aang point blank. Aang’s eyes went owlishly wide and he shook his head. 

“What do you mean? Of course I want to learn fire bending.” His voice had gone strangely high as he protested his innocence. Zuko wasn’t fooled. He crossed his arms over his chest and quirked his brow. 

“Sure,” he scoffed. “That’s why you’ve done everything short of offering to do everyone’s laundry to keep from starting your lesson. I don’t like wasting time, Aang. And we don’t have that much time to begin with. Tell me what’s going on.” After a beat, Zuko added, “Please.” 

Aang started to deny the accusations, but Zuko’s face darkened in a way that told Aang his sifu wouldn’t take the lie lightly. Aang sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. 

“It’s just…” he started hesitantly. “Fire is...it’s so destructive.” Zuko blinked in surprise, but he didn’t interrupt. Aang glanced up at Zuko sheepishly. “No offense, but I’ve seen what fire can do. Master Jeong Jeong tried to teach me a few months ago, and I..I hurt Katara.” 

And now they came to the point. Zuko hadn’t been with the Avatar and his friends long, but even he had seen how Aang looked at Katara. 

“Well, she’s fine now,” Zuko said not unkindly. “So you got careless once. It happens to everyone. Next time you won’t be so careless, right?” 

“Right…” Aang nodded, but he looked despondent. Zuko fought the urge to roll his eyes. They  _ really _ didn’t have the time for this.

“Fire is destructive,” he conceded. “But so are the other elements. Even air can be destructive.” Aang’s head raised sharply, but Zuko didn’t give him time to respond. “Fire can also bring life. You need fire to cook, for starters. Fire brings warmth, and ash can spur life. In the Fire Nation, wood ash is used as fertilizer in gardens.”

“Really?” Aang scrunched his nose, unsure of whether he could believe Zuko. 

“Yeah. And it’s very effective.” Zuko watched Aang closely as he processed this new information. Zuko bit the inside of his cheek trying to keep from saying anything that would upset his student. He understood why Toph favored the tough love approach to teaching Aang. Zuko would have to give it a shot if the younger boy didn’t respond to his encouragement. 

“Alright,” Aang said at last. It was a reluctant concession, but Zuko didn’t care as long as he stopped trying to avoid their first lesson. Inwardly he groaned at the prospect of having to give many more pep-talks like this, but that was a problem for the next lesson. For now, Zuko thought that maybe a demonstration would get Aang at least a little excited about learning firebending.

“Fire bending is mostly about breathing,” Zuko explained. He crouched into the first, most basic form. Feet planted wide; knees bent over his knees; arms up defensively. Zuko took a deep breath and punched…

A weak flame licked the air. Zuko startled out of his stance and blinked in confusion. Had his stance been off, he wondered. Had he not breathed correctly? 

“Let me try that again,” he mumbled, mostly to himself. He got back into position and…

The flames were a deep red. The color of the coolest flames. Zuko’s fire hadn’t been that weak since he was a child. His stomach clenched tightly.

" _ What _ …?" Zuko whispered. He took a deep breath, trying to gain control over the cold chills creeping down his spine. By now, the others were starting to notice his struggle. Toph, Smellerbee, and Sokka- who had wandered out to the courtyard still half asleep- hung around the edge of the courtyard observing curiously. Blood rushed to Zuko's face when he realized his audience had grown. Just what he needed. Witnesses to this. 

" _ Ignore them,"  _ he muttered to himself. He got into position and tried again.

The flames were as red as his nation's flag. 

"I don't understand…" Zuko felt fear coil in his stomach settle like a stone. 

"That was really impressive," Aang told him. "Your form was great!" Zuko's rounded on the younger boy.

"Don't patronize me!" he snapped. "You know what it's supposed to look like." 

“Woah,” Sokka stage whispered. “Sparky’s lost his spark.” He waited a beat and looked around at the group. “Get it?”

“We get it,” Toph assured him with a straight face. Sokka grumbled to himself that  _ he _ thought it was funny, at least. Zuko wasn’t in a mood to find the situation amusing, though. He glared at Sokka, then fled the courtyard for the quiet sanctuary of his room. 

“Hey.” Zuko stopped himself just short of running into Katara. She was up and dressed, but still rubbing her eyes sleepily. She hadn’t noticed Zuko’s mood yet. “Morning.” 

Zuko got out of her way and continued on to his room without acknowledging her. Katara turned and watched him go with her face twisted into a scowl. 

“What’s  _ your _ problem?” she called after him. “Did someone send up the Grump signal?” She shook her head and went out to the courtyard. There was some fruit and dried meats laid out for breakfast. Not the belly warming congee she had hoped someone had made, but at least someone had thought to do this much. She grabbed some rabaroo jerky and a giant kumquat, then went to join her friends in the middle of the stone yard. They were huddled together and whispering about something. 

“What’s going on?” she asked when she was close enough. Aang turned to her with wide eyes. 

“Something’s wrong with Zuko’s bending,” he told her. He explained what had happened with a mystified shake of his head. “I mean, it looked alright to me. Sure, the flames weren’t their usual color, but it’d still burn something.”

“Nah,” Sokka jumped in. “It didn’t have nearly the distance his firebending usually has. Something was definitely off.” Katara glanced back towards the corridors leading to their rooms with a worried furrow in her brows. 

“You think maybe he’s sick?” she asked. 

“Could be,” Toph said. “I don’t know what kind of sickness would affect your bending, though.” 

“Maybe someone should check on him,” Aang suggested. Katara hesitated a moment before she shook her head. 

“Let him have some time alone,” she said. “We can check on him later if he doesn’t come out on his own.” 

Zuko did wind up coming out on his own about an hour later. Toph and Aang had gone into the woods for earthbending practice and Sokka had gone off hunting. The Freedom Fighters had scattered to no one knew where. Haru was keeping Katara company while she sewed a patch on to a pair of pants. She set her work aside when she saw Zuko emerge into the late morning sun. 

“Sorry about earlier,” he said as he joined the other two by the fountain. “I was rude.” Katara waved him off carelessly. 

“Forget about it,” she told him. “How are you feeling?” Zuko replied with a sort of half-shrug. He had spent the past hour trying to piece together what was wrong with his bending, and when the last time he actually used it was. 

“Do you think it has something to do with the eclipse?” Haru suggested. 

“That was three days ago,” Katara pointed out. “And firebending was only affected for a few minutes.” 

“Yeah,” Haru conceded. “But maybe it had a lasting effect on some firebenders. When was the last time you tried firebending?” Zuko shrugged again. 

“I started the campfires on the way here,” he said. “But I haven’t  _ really _ used my bending since...well, before the invasion. I...I hadn’t really been in the mood for it. And I was on the ship with the Water Tribe warriors...I don’t know. I guess it has been a while. But it hasn’t been  _ that _ long.” Haru shook his head, and stroked his mustache wisely. Zuko was beginning to  _ hate _ Haru’s mustache. 

“You shouldn’t neglect practicing like that, man,” he said. Zuko’s face flushed and his shoulders tensed. 

“You’re right,” Katara said pointedly. “So why are you here instead of practicing with Toph and Aang?” Haru deflated immediately. His mouth opened and closed several times, letting half formed words escape. 

“I-I didn’t want to interrupt,” he said at last. “You know, teaching time or whatever.” Katara folded her arms. 

“You don’t think you have anything to add to Aang’s training? Aren’t  _ you _ a master earthbender, too?” The way Katara said it sounded less like a compliment and more like a challenge. Haru twiddled his fingers nervously and hemmed and hawed once again.

“Well I-I wouldn’t say  _ master _ ,” he told her. “I mean, I’m  _ pretty _ good. Not as good as Toph, though-”

“So why didn’t you go to learn from her then?” Katara demanded. Haru’s mouth dropped open in horror. 

“Learn from  _ Toph _ ?” he gasped. “But she’s so....”

“So?” Katara pressed. 

“Well...scary,” Haru admitted. Katara snorted in disgust and turned back to Zuko.

"Do you think you might be sick?" she asked him. Zuko's brow drew down in consternation. 

"What kind of sickness could affect bending?" he asked.

"I don't know," Katara admitted. "But it's something to consider. Do you feel sick?" Zuko considered retreating to his room. The speculation over his sudden weak bending was had all the soothing effect of a grater on his skin.

“I feel fine,” he replied shortly. Katara flinched back a bit, and immediately, Zuko’s irritation was drenched in guilt. He ran his hand through his hair in his agitation. 

“I’m sorry,” he huffed. “I know you’re just trying to help, but…”

"Alright," Katara relented. "I'll back off. But if you feel sick-"

"You'll be the first to know,"Zuko cut in. "On my honor." Katara turned back to her sewing, but the silence did almost as little to soothe Zuko's agitation as her prodding questions. But Katara didn't seem to be feeling chatty.

"It's quiet," Zuko commented, if only to break the stillness. Katara hummed in agreement. All of her focus was on making neat little stitches, and Zuko wasn't sure she had even registered what he had said. 

"Does it bother you?" Katara asked suddenly. Her eyes were still on her task, but her head was tilted slightly in his direction. 

"Does what bother me?"

"The quiet," Katara clarified. "You don't strike me as someone who likes a lot of noise." Zuko sighed and slumped over his knees.

"I don't, normally," he admitted. "But right now, I don't want it to be quiet enough to hear my thoughts." Katara looked up from her sewing, her face twisted in concern. Then she reached out and laid a hand on his shoulder. 

"We'll figure it out," she promised him. "I'm sure this is just temporary." Zuko didn't say anything, but he put his hand over hers and hoped she accepted it as thanks.

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

Zuko spent the rest of the day more or less alone, trying to figure out what was wrong with him. By dinner, he thought he had figured it out.

"I'm not angry," he said pit of nowhere as Katara passed him his dinner. 

"Um… what?" Sokka had frozen with his spoon halfway to his mouth. Around the campfire, the rest of Zuko's companions stared at him in confusion. Zuko's sighed and tried to explain. 

"I was taught that firebending comes from powerful emotions," he said. "The most powerful emotion is anger, but I just don’t...feel angry anymore.”

“Isn’t that a good thing?” Aang asked. 

“Not if you want me to teach you firebending,” Zuko muttered. 

“Well, we can try to make you angry,” Sokka offered. 

“No tha-” Zuko was cut off as a brothy slice of wild carrot hit his cheek. Sokka grinned at him proudly, poised with another chunk of vegetable in hand. 

“You mad?” he asked. 

“No,” Zuko said, wiping at his cheek, “I-” This time a purple chunk of potato bounced off his forehead. 

“You mad now?” he asked.. 

“Would you stop?” Zuko huffed and glared across the fire at his friend. “I don’t want to rely on rage for my firebending anymore.” 

“Well, how will you fix your firebending?” Smellerbee asked. Zuko shrugged helplessly and set his dinner aside. 

“I don’t know,” he said. “I wish Uncle was here. He would know how to fix what’s wrong with me.” Zuko held his hands out and stared at them, clenching and unclenching his fists. Suddenly, he stood up and headed back towards the rooms. 

“Where are you going?” Katara called after him. 

“To meditate,” Zuko said. 

“What about dinner?”

“I’m not hungry.” 

Katara watched Zuko leave with a small frown. She started to get up, but Toph caught her hand. 

"Give him space," she said. 

"I just want to see if he's alright," Katara insisted.

"Don't worry about it," Toph shrugged. "He's not. But there’s not really anything you can do." Katara stared down the corridor feeling torn. After a moment, she sighed and sat down.

"Atta girl," Toph grinned into her soup bowl. Katara glared at her, but she didn't try to go after Zuko again. 

A few hours later, Zuko emerged to find most of his companions had gone to bed. The only ones still in the courtyard were Katara, Toph, Aang and Sokka. The fire had burned itself down to a few flames licking at dully glowing embers. Dinner had long since been over, and the pot scrubbed out and packed away, so Zuko was surprised when Katara produced a bowl and passed it to him. 

“Thought you might have changed your mind,” she told him. Zuko still wasn’t hungry, but he didn’t want to be rude. The bowl had been beside the dying fire and the stew was still warm enough to eat. Zuko was grateful for that. 

“Any luck figuring out what’s wrong?” Sokka asked. 

“No,” Zuko mumbled. 

“You want me to try making you angry again?”

“No!” This time Zuko spoke more firmly. He sighed and ran his free hand over his face. 

“It doesn’t make sense,” Aang said. “Why would firebending be based on anger? No one’s angry all the time.” 

“It’s effective,” Zuko said with a shrug. “It’s how it’s always been done.” Aang’s nose scrunched up and he shook his head vehemently. 

“No it’s not! I knew firebenders. One of my best friends was a firebender- a good firebender- and he was hardly ever angry.” Zuko had to fight hard against the urge to roll his eyes. Of all the people in the world to find himself with, he had to end up with the most blindly hopeful bunch. 

“So, what was his secret?” Zuko asked. “He must have taught you something.” Aang flushed and rubbed the back of his neck.

“Well, no,” he admitted. “I didn’t find out I was the Avatar until right before...But still, Kuzon could firebend without being angry. There  _ must  _ be a way for you to do it, too.” 

“Great,” Zuko said sarcastically. He set his bowl aside and dropped his head into his hands. Around him, the group exchanged glances over his head. Finally, Toph made a thoughtful noise and tapped her chin. 

“You know,” she started slowly. “When I was little, my parents got me earthbending instructors who barely let me move past the basics. They wouldn’t have even done that, except having an untrained earthbender was too dangerous. I might break one of their precious ornaments.” Toph snorted and scowled. Her friends watched her expectantly. 

“When I was six, I tried to run away,” Toph continued. “I wasn’t very good at earthbending yet, and I  _ really _ couldn’t see, so I didn’t get very far. I only made it the foot of the mountains just off my family’s property, but it was far enough. I wandered into a cave and that’s where the badgermoles found me.” 

“What’s this got to do with anything?” Zuko asked sounding more drained than unkind. Toph leaned against a log and crossed her ankle over her leg. 

“The badgermoles taught me earthbending,” she said. “ _ Real _ earthbending. Not the baby stuff my parents wanted me to be happy with. They were the first earthbenders. I mean the badgermoles, not my parents.” 

“Cool story,” Sokka said. “But what’s it got to do with anything?” Toph sat up and pointed at Zuko.

“The point is if you want to learn firebending they way it’s supposed to be done, then you need to learn from the first firebenders.” Everyone turned to stare at Zuko. He leaned back away from them and fought the urge to flee from their attention. 

“The first firebenders were dragons,” he told them. “But they’re gone.”

“Gone?” Aang gasped. “They can’t be gone. There were tons of them a hundred years ago! Avatar Roku had one! What happened to them?” Zuko glanced at Aang with a pained look on his face. 

  
“My great-grandfather happened,” he replied miserably. “They were hunted to extinction for a title.” Aang’s face fell.

“All of them?” Aang asked. His voice was small and injured, and Zuko felt like he had struck a blow against him. But he couldn’t lie. He nodded mutely and folded his arms tightly against his chest.

“I’m sorry.” Zuko’s voice was almost inaudible over the crackle of the dying fire. 

“There’s got to be another way,” Katara said. Zuko looked up and caught her eye across the flames. There was a determined resolve in her eyes born of desperation. Her mouth was set firmly as she turned to Aang. “It’s your destiny to master all the elements, so that means that there is a way to fix this.”

“Katara-” Zuko started to say. Her hair whipped around her head as she spun back towards Zuko. 

“There is a way, Zuko,” she insisted. “And we’ll find it. We  _ have _ to.” Zuko’s mouth opened and closed a few times. Sokka leaned towards him and held his hand up to the side of his mouth. 

“Don’t bother,” he whispered loudly. “There’s not talking to her when she gets like this.” A ball of water dropped on Sokka’s head, drenching him to his waist. He sputtered angrily and shook the water from his shirt. Katara stood with a smirk on her face, her waterskin hanging open at her side. 

“You had that one coming,” Toph snickered. Sokka scowled at her and stood up. He held his shirt away from his body. 

“It’s too cold for this,” he complained. “If I get sick, I’m blaming you!” Katara put the rest of her water away. 

  
“I’ll live,” she retorted. Sokka stormed off towards his room, muttering about crazy over powered sisters, and how she wouldn’t get away with that if Gran-Gran were around.

Soon everyone drifted off to their beds until Zuko was left alone at the fireside. Eventually, he went to bed, but sleep was a long time coming. He lay on his cot staring up at the stone ceiling, trying to steady his breathing, the way Iroh had taught him. Still his mind raced with worried thoughts. What if he never got his full power back? He had never been the strongest bender, but Zuko had been competent. Now he wasn’t even that. How would he help Aang now? That was the one thing he had to offer. 

With a frustrated huff, Zuko turned onto his side and closed his eyes. Aang’s suggestion of learning from the first benders echoed in his mind. Shame followed closely. It was just cosmic justice that Zuko had lost his bending, and his family was responsible for the annihilation of the only beings that could have helped him. 

A prickle at the base of his spine told Zuko that sunrise wasn’t long off. That he still felt so connected to the sun gave him a dim spark of hope. He scoffed at his naivety. Despite Katara’s optimistic prediction, Zuko had seen the worst outcome too often to cling to the hope. It was easy for her to say. She had mastered her element faster than anyone he had ever heard of. Faster than Azula, even. She had come so far from the inexperienced miscreant who had stolen the waterbending scroll from the pirates-

Zuko sprang up in bed, his heart thudding in his chest. There  _ was  _ a way! 

The sun’s rays were just peeking above the horizon. Zuko peered through the window to watch the dawn break. No one would be up yet, but this couldn’t wait. He rushed from his room down the hall to where Aang was sleeping. 

“Wake up!” Zuko shook the younger boy. 

“Wha-?” Aang blinked up at Zuko in confusion. “What’s happening? What’s wrong?” 

“I know how to learn firebending,” Zuko told him. His voice shook with excitement. 

“What is  _ wrong _ with you?” Aang and Zuko spun towards the door to find Toph- irated and looking ready to fight. “Do you know how it feels when you’re running around like a rabid moose-lion?” 

“Sorry, Toph,” Zuko apologized. “I just figured out-”

“He thinks he knows how to get his firebending back,” Aang told Toph excitedly. 

“Oh! Terrific!” Toph snapped sarcastically. “And this couldn’t wait until morning?”

“It  _ is _ morning,” Zuko pointed out. Toph turned her angry glare on him and stomped on the floor. The stone beneath Zuko’s feet shifted and suddenly his legs were swept from beneath him. He landed hard on this back and the wind left his lungs with a  _ whoosh. _

“What is going on?” Katara’s displeased face appeared behind Toph. “Do you know what time it is? What’s the matter with you all?”

“Zuko said he figured out how to get his firebending back,” Aang explained. Katara’s scowl fell from her face almost immediately. 

“Really?” Her eager voice bounced off of the stone walls. From down the hall there came the sound of a door slamming against a wall. Moments later, a sleep dishevelled Sokka poked his head in.

“What’s wrong with you people?” he demanded. “Normal people are  _ trying _ to sleep!”

“Sorry Sokka,” Aang said. “But Zuko thinks he knows how to fix his firebending.”

“I don’t care!” Sokka huffed. “Unless we’re under attack, or there’s food, I don’t want to be woken up this early again!”

“What if someone’s dying?” Toph quipped. Sokka turned and glared at her. 

“Then get Katara,” he grumbled. Then he spun and stalked off back to his room, muttering about overly excitable benders and respecting sleep patterns. He slammed the door to his room shut behind him. Katara rolled her eyes and motioned for the others to follow her to the courtyard. 

"So what's the plan?" Katara asked, as the four settled around the fire. Zuko threw a couple of new logs on the pile and set a spark to the kindling. He tried to temper the relief he felt at doing even that.

"I got the idea from you," he told her. "Remember that time with the pirates?" Katara folded her arms and scowled at Zuko. 

"Yeah, I remember," she said. "I owe you for that, by the way. It took me days to get all the sap off my dress" 

"Not the tree thing." Zuko winced at that memory. "The scroll." 

"The one she stole from those pirates?" Aang asked. Toph sat up and let out an incredulous laugh.

" _ Sugar Queen _ stole something?" She guffawed. "I love it! Miss Goody-Two-Shoes has some edge after all." Katara's face blushed a deep red.

"I have plenty of edge," she snarled at Toph. She turned back to Zuko with a huff. "I remember the scroll. What about it?" In spite of his anxieties, Zuko watched them with amusement. 

"If you can teach yourself waterbending from a scroll, maybe I can, too."”

“You have a firebending scroll?” Katara asked skeptically. “Or are you going to try to steal one from pirates?”

“You offering to help?” Toph snickered. 

“No,” Zuko shook his head. “Nothing that complicated. The dragons were the first firebenders, but the first people they taught were the Sun Warriors.”

“Who are they?” Aang asked. He leaned forward eagerly, resting his elbows on his knees. He looked every bit like the eager student with his master. It seemed the history of firebending was more interesting to him than practical application. 

“They were the first people in what’s now the Fire Nation,” Zuko explained. “They’ve been gone for thousands of years, but they left some things behind. My uncle told me that there are ruins from one of their biggest cities on Kaiko Island.”

“That’s not that far from here,” Aang said excitedly. “Are you going to go find them?”

“No,” Zuko told him. “ _ We  _ are.”

Zuko and Aang prepared to leave immediately. By the time Katara finished preparing breakfast and the last of the group shambled sleepily out of their rooms, Zuko and Aang had loaded the last of the supplies for their journey onto Appa’s saddle.

“Do you have everything?” Katara held a small sack in her hands as she came up to where Zuko was strapping the sheath for his swords to his back. 

“I think so,” he said. 

“How long do you think you’ll be gone?” 

“Not long,” Zuko told her. He frowned slightly. “I know we don’t have much time before the comet. Kaiko isn’t far. We should be there by this afternoon if we leave now.” 

“Now?” Aang’s head popped up over the side of the saddle and groaned. “I didn’t get breakfast.” Katara held up the sack she brought over. 

“Got it covered,” she said. Zuko peered into the bag and saw Katara had filled it with dried fruits and bread. Aang slid down Appa’s flank and took the bag from Katara. 

“Wow! Thanks, Katara.” He smiled shyly up at her. “You’re always taking such good care of m- us.” Katara’s smile tightened slightly. 

“No problem. Be safe out there.” 

“We’ll be alright,” Aang promised, pulling Katara into a quick hug. Then he leapt back up into Appa’s saddle, bending a gust of air to clear the side.

“We’ll be back in three days,” Zuko promised. “Whether we find the ruins or not.” Katara nodded sharply. Then she held her arms out to Zuko. He looked at her blankly and Katara motioned him forward. 

“In this family we hug,” she told him. 

Family. That conjured up the smell of tea and the quiet swish of his mother's silk robes. It brought memories of his father's hard gaze and his sister's superior smirk. He had never thought a ragtag group of war orphans could be a family, but as Katara stood there, arms open and ready to welcome him in, Zuko thought he could learn to. Flushing, Zuko returned her embrace a bit stiffly. 

“Um...sorry,” Zuko mumbled, pulling out of Katara’s arms. “I don’t... I mean, my uncle is the only one who...and even that was a long time ago-”

“We’ll work on it,” Katara cut him off with an amused smirk. “See you in three days.” 

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

Zuko hadn’t known Aang very long, but already he was picking up on the young Avatar’s little idiosyncrasies. Aang had a habit of talking fast and switching topics if he was nervous or avoiding a subject, which made traveling alone with him a bit tiring. At first Zuko was content to let him chatter on. He nod along and make an occasional monosyllabic contribution to the largely one sided conversation. At one point, Zuko’s mind had drifted so far from what Aang was saying that he didn’t realize that he had asked him a question. 

“Sorry, what?” Zuko asked. He shifted closer to the front of the saddle so he could hear Aang better. 

“Do you think we’ll be there soon?” Aang repeated. Zuko checked the map against the landmarks below. 

“Pretty soon,” Zuko said. “I think we should be there in an hour or so.” 

“Great!” Aang’s face lit up. “I’m so glad we could do this. I need a break from everyone, you know?”

Zuko frowned at that. 

“What do you mean? I thought you got along with everyone.” 

  
“I do,” Aang started hesitantly with a shrug. “It’s just...the last few weeks with the invasion and all the training… It was getting to be a lot. And no one ever wants to take a break.” 

“Everyone wants to make sure you’re ready to face the Fire Lord,” Zuko reminded him. “I know it feels like we’re all being hard on you, but we’re only doing it because we want to make sure you get through this.” Aang turned his gaze away and gave a half-shrug.

“I guess,” he mumbled. Zuko sighed and ran his hands over his face. This was  _ not _ his area of expertise. 

“We’ve got this trip,” Zuko said. “It’s not really a vacation, but once we find the ruins, we can just stick to the firebending basics until we get back. It should be fun  _ and  _ educational.” Aang glanced back at Zuko nervously with a noncommittal murmur. 

“Hey, have you ever seen an elephant koi?” His voice jumped up slightly as the words tumbled out his mouth quickly. “I’ve ridden one, you know. It was pretty cool. When this is over, we should go to Kyoshi and I’ll show you how to do it.”

“Aang,” Zuko tried to cut in. Aang flinched slightly. Just enough for Zuko to know that he had heard him. 

“I thought about trying to ride an unagi,” Aang powered on. “I know they’ve got a reputation, but I think I could do it.” 

“Aang!” This time there was no way for Aang to pretend he hadn’t heard. 

  
“Yeah?” He turned back to Zuko with wide, innocent eyes and a sheepish smile.

“Are you still nervous about learning firebending?” Zuko asked him point blank. Maybe, Zuko thought, if he didn’t give Aang an out, he wouldn’t try to wriggle out. It seemed to work. Aang’s shoulders slumped as he heaved a heavy sigh. He looked back at Zuko. 

“I don’t think I’ll be any good at it,” he admitted. “I know you said that firebending isn’t...bad-”

“It isn’t,” Zuko insisted. 

“I know.” Aang hesitated. “It’s just...I know you  _ say _ that. I know you  _ believe  _ it. But I don’t know if I could ever really get the hang of an element that relies so much on being angry. I was always taught to let go of anger.” Zuko fought down a scowl.

“Anger isn’t always a bad thing,” Zuko told him, trying to remember Iroh’s words of wisdom. “We need anger as much as we need happiness and sadness and love and disappointment. Anger is how we know when something is wrong and we need to take a stand. None of us would be here if we weren’t angry.” Aang looked out over Appa’s head. The reins dangled loosely from one hand, and he brought his knee up to rest his chin on. 

“You were angry when you were coming after us.” Zuko had to strain to hear what Aang was saying. “You let it go, and now you can’t firebend.” 

“It’s different…” Zuko clutched at the edge of the saddle. “I wasn’t just angry. I was desperate. There are plenty of good reasons for me to be angry now. I just don’t know how to channel it like I did before.”

“The Air Monks taught me that anger leads to violence and hatred,” Aang said. “I don’t know if I can let myself feel that.”

“Anger also leads to changing the world,” Zuko pointed out. “Why do you think Katara and Sokka are here? Why do you think Toph gave up everything to come teach you earthbending? The Freedom Fighters? Haru? We’re all angry about this war. Aren’t you?” 

“I’m…” Aang chewed on his lip. “I guess I’m sad about it. But I’m not angry.” Zuko snorted in disbelief. 

“You’re not angry?” he scoffed. “The Fire Nation destroyed the Air Nomads. That doesn’t anger you at all? My father had Katara and Sokka’s mother murdered. That doesn’t make you angry?”

“No.” There was a sharp edge to Aang’s voice. He took a deep breath. “No, it doesn’t make me angry.” 

“That’s not…” Zuko’s grip tightened on the saddle. “That  _ has  _ to make you angry. Aang, those were your people! Your friends are suffering because of this war. Doesn’t that bother you at all?” Aang spun around and jumped into Zuko’s face. 

“Of  _ course _ it bothers me!” he shouted. “But if I get angry, it’ll just turn me into a bitter evil monster like you...your dad.” Aang tried to cover, but Zuko reeled back as if he had been punched.

"You think I'm a monster?" Aang’s face reddened with guilt, and Zuko’s face had paled. 

“I-I don’t think you’re a monster,” Aang stammered. “I  _ don’t _ ! But...I don’t know. You were kind of scary I guess when you were chasing us. If that’s how you learn firebending, I don’t know if I want to learn it from you.” Zuko was quiet for a long while. Aang’s flush deepened and he ducked his head, tearing his eyes away from Zuko’s piercing glare.

“Do you trust me?” Zuko asked finally. 

“Huh?” Aang’s brows shot up to his non existent hairline. 

“Do you trust me?” Zuko repeated. “Do you trust me now?” 

“I...guess?” Aang said hesitantly. 

“You guess?” Zuko snorted and pushed himself away from the edge of the saddle. “Everyone else seems to trust me. Why don’t you?” 

“I trust you!” Aang left the reins and jumped back into the saddle. Zuko shifted away from him, but there wasn’t really any place for him to retreat to. Aang sat across from him and tried to look Zuko in the eye. “I forgave you for trying to capture me. I promise I have. But it’s hard to forget everything. And then you said that firebending is powered by anger. I just don’t know if I can do that.” Zuko’s eyes flickered at Aang. Then he pinched the bridge of his nose and huffed in frustration. 

“Whatever,” he muttered. “Just forget it, alright? We’ll deal with this after we find the Sun Warrior ruins.” 

“But-” 

“Just drop it,” Zuko cut him off. “We’ll be there soon. We won’t have long to do this. We have to be back to the others in three days.” Aang lingered, wanting to say something more, but there was something in Zuko’s face that told Aang it would probably be better to leave the irascible firebender to his thoughts for the moment. 

They landed on Kaiko later than they expected. It was getting towards evening when they approached the island. They circled it a few times looking for a good place to land, but most of the island was covered in jungle that looked thick even from the sky. The only place to land Appa was a thin strip of beach. 

“We’ll have to set up camp here,” Zuko said. He slid down Appa’s saddle and held his hand up to the horizon and counted quietly. “There’s maybe three hours of sunlight left, and I don’t want to wander through there in the dark.” 

“Okay,” Aang agreed readily. He had been unusually compliant and chipper since their talk earlier. “I’ll follow your lead.” Zuko turned his head so Aang wouldn’t see him rolling his eyes. Aang started to pull down the tent they had brought with them, but Zuko stopped him. 

“It’ll be warm enough without the tent,” he told Aang. “Go find some firewood.” Aang nodded once and ran to the edge of the jungle to hunt for dry wood.By the time he got back, Zuko had set up a pit and had begun pulling out their dinner things. 

“You need me to get some water?” Aang offered. 

“Got it covered.” Zuko held up a skin of water. He had made sure to fill several before they left the Air Temple. There would be plenty left for their trip barring something drastic, but he figured Aang could just bend them more if they needed. 

Aang flitted around the rest of the evening, trying to be helpful. Zuko bore his persistent offers to feed Appa (who was already happily grazing on beach grass), or lay out their sleeping bags, and other unnecessary chores with as much patience as he could. Still, when he handed Aang his bowl of thin rice soup with vegetables, Zuko was relieved that the younger boy had finally settled down. He knew what Aang wanted- an assurance that their friendship would go back to what it had been the day before- but Zuko couldn’t pretend their conversation hadn’t happened. The most he could do is push it back until they had done what they had come to do.

After they cleared up the remains of their dinner, Zuko announced that it was time for bed. The next morning, they were up at first light. Then, after a quick breakfast, when the sun had risen enough to begin penetrating the thick trees, the pair started their journey into the heart of the island. Zuko led the way, using his dao swords to clear a path. They hadn’t gone far before they started seeing signs that they were on the right track. Crumbled portions of long uninhabited houses peeked through vines and low bushes. Aang spotted what looked like a pendant from a necklace sticking out of the dirt. The most encouraging sign, however, was a bas-relief of a dragon in the center of what looked like the remains of a temple. 

For a moment, Zuko could imagine what the carving must have looked like when it was new. There were small faded patches of paint still clinging to the stone, leaving just enough color to show that the dragon had once been vibrant. Zuko ran his fingers over the scales on the dragon’s back. 

“Are they  _ really  _ all gone?” Aang asked, breaking the stillness. 

“Yeah.” Zuko let his hand fall from the carving. He swallowed hard against the guilty lump in his throat. “My grandfather decided the dragons were a problem, so he offered land and titles to anyone who could kill them. My uncle killed the last one before I was born.” 

“Oh!” Aang gasped. Zuko looked at him from the corner of his eye and laughed mirthlessly. 

“You think he’s a monster, too now.” Zuko sighed and turned back to the carving “Maybe he was then.” Aang stood dumbfounded. His mouth opened and closed a few times, but he couldn’t think of anything to say. 

The first sign of trouble came towards the middle of the day. The further into the jungle they got, the more intact the ruins were. And within those ruins, they began finding booby traps. Aang triggered one that nearly dropped him into a pit of spikes. He was able to push himself across the chasm with his airbending. Zuko ran across using an adjacent wall to propel himself forward.

“Are you sure you’re not part airbender?” Aang asked when Zuko landed on his feet next to him. That got a smirk from the firebender. 

“Let’s keep moving,” Zuko said. Aang looked down into the pit nervously. He gulped, ready to suggest turning back, but Zuko didn’t seem like he would be open to the idea.

“Um...sure.” Aang followed Zuko, keeping his eyes open for any further traps. 

They came upon another, even wider courtyard just beyond the trap. There was another mural. This one depicted a man- a Sun Warrior, Zuko surmised- in between two large dragons. The man had been engulfed in flames breathed out by the beasts. Aang gasped when he saw it. 

“I thought the dragons and the Sun Warriors were friends,” he said. Zuko’s mouth twisted as if he had bitten into something sour. 

“They look real friendly here,” he muttered. “Maybe he’s being punished. Or maybe the Sun Warriors practiced human sacrifice.” Aang’s eyes went wide in fear. 

“Do you really think…?” He couldn’t finish the thought. Zuko just shrugged. 

“It’s not like there’s anyone around to ask. Whatever they did back then, it doesn’t make sense to judge them for it now.” 

At the far end of the courtyard was a locked door. After a few minutes of searching, they realized that it was the only way forward. 

  
“I can try to break it with earthbending,” Aang offered. He glanced over at Zuko to find him examining something on the ground. “What is it?”

“It looks like a celestial calendar.” Zuko ran his fingers over one of the tiles. “We use something like this at home. I think this one is marked for the Summer Solstice.” He looked up and pointed to a stone above the door. “I think the door only opens when the sun hits that stone on the Solstice.” 

“Oh!” Aang examined the door himself. “Like how only airbenders can open certain doors in the temples.” 

“Exactly.”

“But,” Aang’s face fell. “The Solstice has passed already. Looks like we’re going to have to break the door.” He was genuinely disappointed. This part of the ruins were remarkably well preserved. It was a shame to have to wreck part of it.

“Hold on a second.” Zuko stared at the door for a moment, then looked up towards the sky. He took a few steps back and unsheathed his swords. 

“What are you doing?” Aang watched him in confusion. Zuko ignored him. He held up one of the swords over his head, so the sun glinted off of it. He angled it at the stone above the door. A moment later, the heavy stone barrier swung open. Aang let out an excited cheer. 

“That was so cool!” he exclaimed. “I didn’t know you were that smart.” Zuko made a face at Aang’s back as he put his swords away. 

“Thank you?” He rolled his eyes and followed Aang inside. 

There were statues everywhere. It looked like Iroh’s cabin on Zuko’s ship, except where his uncle had collected knick knacks from all over the world, there were only statuettes of people here. Had they wandered into someone’s curio closet? But then why put it behind a door that was only designed to open once a year? Maybe it was a shrine to dead chiefs. Zuko ran his fingers over one and was surprised to find it only lightly covered in dust. He moved backwards to the center of the room and looked at the rest of the statues with a slight frown. None of them looked as grimy as he thought they would after centuries of the temple crumbling. And there was something else bothering him. 

“This looks...familiar,” he said mostly to himself. Aang heard him, though. He looked up from where he was imitating one of the statues faces. 

“Huh?” he responded. “Familiar how?” Zuko tilted his head to the side and squinted slightly. 

“It looks like the Dancing Dragon form,” Zuko said. “I’ve never seen anyone do it in real life, though. Aang took a step back from his statue and copied the pose. A stone shifted beneath his foot. 

“Woah!” he gasped, jumping back. “Is it supposed to do that?” Zuko went to the next statue and copied it. Another stone shifted. 

“I guess it is.” Zuko exchanged a glance with Aang. With a nod, they went through the room, imitating the forms down each side of the room until the met at the last one, fist outstretched over head and nearly touching. Behind them, they heard the grinding sound of stone sliding against stone. In the center of the room, the floor had opened and a pedestal holding a jeweled egg rose up. It gleamed in the low light of the room as if it had recently been shined. Zuko was half way to the egg and reaching out towards it before he even realized he had started moving.

“Hey maybe we should leave that alone,” Aang cautioned. Zuko glanced back at him with an annoyed scowl. 

“We’ve come this far,” he said. “What’s the point of this if we aren’t going to poke around?” Zuko lifted the egg up to examine it. Nothing happened for a moment. Then the door to the chamber slammed shut with an echoing bang. That was alarming enough, but then the room started to fill with a black, viscous liquid. 

“What?” Zuko lifted one foot then the other, fruitlessly trying to escape the goo. It held tight and Zuko had to fight the sticky mess to even do that much. 

“I take back what I said earlier about you being smart!” Aang shouted. “This was dumb! I told you to leave the egg alone!”

“Shut up and look for a way out!” Zuko looked around for something to hold on to, but the liquid moved faster than he thought it would. Soon they were being lifted towards the ceiling. There was a grate at the top, and with some difficulty they maneuvered beneath it. The liquid didn’t stop flowing until they were pressed against the iron bars. 

“Now what?” Aang asked. Zuko struggled to push his hands through the liquid and grasped at the bars. 

“I guess we contemplate our place in the universe,” he replied dryly. 

Zuko spent the next hour trying to find a way out. Aang on the other hand, seemed to be content to wait for something to happen. The goo might drain on its own. Or their friends would realize something was wrong and come looking for them. He busied himself by trying to distract Zuko from their situation. He chattered on about some of the other scrapes he and his friends had been in over the last few months, and then moved on to looking for shapes in the clouds. They were well past the middle of their second day away by now. Zuko sighed at the thought, staring up the clouds.

“That one sort of looks like a rabaroo crossed with a mooselion,” Aang said. He motioned towards one with his nose. Or rather Zuko assumed he did. Neither of them could actually turn to look at each other. The black goo made movement nearly impossible, but that didn’t stop Zuko from trying. He wriggled his shoulders in his attempt to find purchase for his hands against the grate holding them in. Zuko thought if he could push the grate open, or find a pin or a latch, they could eventually climb out. So far his efforts had been fruitless, but he kept trying. He  _ had _ to get them out. He had promised to get them back by the next day. 

“Hey, Zuko?” Aang asked tentatively. Zuko kept pushing against the grate. He didn’t notice the complentative tone in Aang’s voice. “Have you ever been in love?”

“ _ What _ ?” Zuko turned his head as far as he could. He could just make out Aang’s profile in his periphery. It could have been a trick of the light, but he thought he could see the tip of Aang’s nose turning red.

“Never mind,” the younger boy mumbled. Zuko opened his mouth to say something, when a rustling caught his attention. 

“Did you hear that?” he asked. Aang went quiet for a moment. 

“Hear what?” he whispered after a moment. The bushes rustled again, louder this time. Zuko tried to get a better look. With their luck, he was expecting some hungry animals who would think that the faces of two human boys looked like a decent meal. What he wasn't expecting on this uninhabited island was for those hungry animals to be ridden by angry warriors holding alarmingly sharp looking spears in their faces. 

"Um…" Aang smiled nervously. "Hey!"

-:-:-:-:-:-

The next few hours were a blur. The boys were freed from their sticky prison and promptly bound and marched to a small but thriving village at the heart of the island, then brought before the chief.

The Chief Tenoch, a tall, severe looking man made even more imposing by they red and white paint on his face, demanded to know why they were trying to steal from their sacred temple. Aang shot Zuko a pointed look at that. 

“I wasn’t trying to steal it,” Zuko replied through clenched teeth. “I didn’t know there was anyone to steal from in the first place. All we were trying to do was learn firebending.” 

“It’s true!” Aang jumped in eagerly. “Zuko lost his firebending, and I need to learn it because I’m the Avatar and fire is the last element I need to learn.”

“Is that so?” Chief Tenoch asked. Aang nodded so hard, Zuko wondered how he hadn’t made himself dizzy. He bit back a groan before he knelt before the chief the way Jeong Jeong’s soldiers had knelt to him.

“I’m sorry for touching what wasn’t mine,” Zuko pleaded. “I truly meant no disrespect. And we would be honored if you would teach us.” He looked Zuko and Aang over with narrowed eyes, measuring their truthfulness. Finally the corner of his mouth lifted slightly. Calling it a smile would have been too generous, and it immediately put Zuko on his guard.

“Clean them up,” Chief Tenoch ordered his guards. “Then bring them to me.” 

The boys were untied and cleaned them up as much as was possible. That is, they were doused in buckets of warm water and allowed to wash what they could of the goo from their clothes. Zuko tried to get as much of it out of his hair as possible. The end result left them damp and disheveled, but less sticky than before. Then they were taken to a large adobe brick building in the center of town. The chief’s home, the boys assumed. Tenoch was sitting on a ceremonial stool out front when they arrived. Zuko took a knee and motioned for Aang to do the same. 

“You have come to learn firebending,” Chief Tenoch started in a rumbling sonorous voice. “The Sun Warriors are the keepers of the most ancient ways. Our people were the first to learn from the Sons of Agni- the dragons. We can pass on the wisdom to you, but you must first prove yourself worthy of the honor.” Zuko and Aang exchanged glances from the corners of their eyes. It was clear to them both that they were nervous, but there was no other way. Finally Zuko took a deep breath and bowed lower to the chief. 

“We’ll do as you ask,” he swore. Tenoch stood up. 

“Rise,” he ordered. “Both of you and follow me.” He led Zuko and Aang inside the building to a large atrium. It was almost completely empty except for a shrine at the far end. There was a large fire burning. The chief led them to the hearth and knelt. After just a moment’s hesitation, Zuko and Aang followed suit. 

“This is the Eternal Flame,” Tenoch told them. “This was the first fire, given as a gift to mankind by the Sons of Agni. Our people have kept this fire burning for thousands of years through war and famine and disaster. It is the strength of the Sun Warriors.” Tenoch reached out and held something to the flame. When he turned he had flames in both hands. 

“Take the flames,” Tenoch ordered. Zuko held his hand out to accept the flame, which he now realized was burning on a bit of wood. Aang, though hesitated.

“I...I haven’t learned how to handle fire yet,” he confessed. Tenoch’s face softened slightly. 

“You cannot approach fire from a place of fear,” he told Aang, gently taking his hand. “The flame does not only bring harm and destruction. It brings light and life as well. If you treat it with respect, fire will not harm you.” Aang glanced at Zuko. The older boy nodded encouragingly. Aang took a breath to steady his nerves and accepted the flame from Tenoch. 

“You will carry these pieces of the Eternal Flame up the mountain and present it to Ran and Shaw, the masters who live in the caves. Do not allow it to go out. If they deem you worthy, they will teach you the secrets of firebending.” Zuko’s head shot up and he eyed Chief Tenoch suspiciously. 

“And if they don’t deem us worthy?” he asked. Tenoch shrugged. 

“They’ll kill you where you stand most likely,” he said, ushering the boys out. “Good luck.” 

There was no time for arguing, and no point in it if there had been. Zuko and Aang did their best to ignore the curious stares of the villagers as they made their way to the base of the mountain. It wasn’t a particularly large mountain, Zuko noted with some relief. There was a trail leading up to two caves near the top. It seemed fairly straight forward. Almost too easy. But Zuko looked over at Aang, who looked even more nervous than he did, and decided to keep his fears to himself. They would have to do this one step at a time. They made it to the top of the mountain, a bit winded, but without hitting any major obstacle.

“Alright,” Aang celebrated when they reached the mouths of the caves. They each turned to face an opening. “This was so easy! We’ve totally got this!” Zuko grunted in reply. He peered deep into his cave, looking for any signs of activity inside, but it was pitch dark. Unusually dark, in fact. Zuko couldn’t see very far past the mouth of the cave, but he got the sense of an enormous space inside. 

_ Achoo! _

“Oh no!” Zuko winced and turned to Aang. His jaw dropped in horror. Aang had managed to sneeze his flame out. 

“How did you…?”

“Hehe...” Aang chuckled nervously and rubbed the back of his neck. “Hazard of airbending.” He reached out towards Zuko. “Let me have some of yours.”

“No way.” Zuko pushed Aang away, and turned to shelter his own flame. “That’s cheating. Cheating isn’t honorable.” Aang wouldn’t take that as an answer. He reached around Zuko, trying to relight his small torch. 

“Come on!” he insisted. “I have to give it to the masters!”

“Hey! Just explain what happened!” Zuko tried to get his flame out of Aang’s reach. Then he slipped and dropped his flame. It went out in the dirt with a hiss and twist of smoke. Aang jumped back with a guilty,

“Oops…” Zuko scowled at Aang, ready to let him have it. A rumbling sound from the caves distracted him though. Before he could react, two dragons- one red and one blue- launched out of the caves and into the sky. Aang and Zuko pressed back to back and watched the dragons in a mix of awe and fear. 

_ We’re going to die, _ Zuko thought with a calm certainty. But as he watched the dragons weave through the air around them, he couldn’t find the level of fear their inevitable deaths should have inspired. All at once the dragons stopped circling and landed in front of the boys. Aang found himself staring at the red dragon and the blue one glared at Zuko. The mural of the man being burned by the dragons suddenly made sense. He hadn’t been sacrificed, Zuko realized. He must have been found unworthy. 

The dragons opened their mouths and Zuko had just enough time to shut his eyes and wonder if their friends would ever find out what happened to them before he and Aang were engulfed in flames. The searing pain Zuko had been anticipating never came, though. After a moment, he opened his eyes, and gasped. The dragons were still breathing fire, but instead of burning the boys to death, they had surrounded them like a chrysalis. There were colors in the flames that Zuko had never dreamed of. It was beautiful. Painfully so. Tears blurred Zuko’s eyes, making the colors blend together even further. 

“I understand,” Zuko whispered. His people had had firebending all wrong. It was fueled by strong emotion, yes, but anger wasn’t the strongest of them. The heart of fire, Zuko finally saw, was passion. Anger was a part of it, but so was love and joy and justice. He had spent so long neglecting his passion for firebending that when he had finally let go of his anger, he had no idea how to tap into any other source. And so his inner fire had dimmed, but not gone out. Now he could feel it again, even brighter and stronger than before.

Abruptly, the flames dissipated and the dragons retreated back to their caves. The boys turned to each other in a daze. Zuko saw the same awe on the young Avatar’s face that he knew must be on his. Eventually, they made their way back down the mountain where Chief Tenoch and the rest of the villagers were waiting for them. Tenoch approached them with the first friendly smile they had seen and clasped his large, heavy hands on their shoulders. 

“You have been deemed worthy by the masters!” he declared with a wide grin. “I am happy to see you survived the trial.” 

“Us, too!” Aang laughed. Zuko felt some of the tension bleed from his shoulders, only to feel them tense up again when the smiled slid from Tenoch’s face. 

“Of course you realize, we can never let you leave this island,” he told them. 

“What?” Zuko balked. Aang’s face paled beneath the stern gaze of the chief.

“I’m just kidding!” Chief Tenoch let out a booming laugh, and the villagers laughed along with him. “You can go. You just have to keep what you’ve seen here to yourselves.” Zuko was so very ready to leave. Tenoch wanted to throw them a huge feast, but the boys begged off, saying that they needed to get back to their friends. They accepted the offer to have their clothes properly cleaned and a warm meal before they left only because Tenoch wouldn’t let them go without experiencing a bit of the Sun Warrior’s hospitality. 

Aang seemed to draw a crowd wherever he went. While he and Zuko were waiting for their clothes to be cleaned, he entertained the villagers with small airbending tricks. Zuko watched from the porch of the chief’s home with vague amusement. 

“ _ Ahem. _ ” Zuko hadn’t noticed Chief Tenoch coming up behind him. He greeted the chief with a hasty bow. Tenoch chuckled at him. 

“No need for that,” he assured Zuko. “You have been honored by the masters. That makes you family as far as we’re concerned.” 

“Thank you,” Zuko said, inclining his head respectfully. Tenoch shook his head, but smiled fondly at the young prince. Zuko watched the villagers for a moment. He was amazed to find them here. A civilization thought lost for centuries, and yet they were not only here, they were thriving. Tenoch followed his gaze and as though he had heard Zuko’s thoughts turned to him.

“We decided a long time ago that it would be best for us to keep to ourselves,” Tenoch explained. “Very few in the outside world know we exist. When the dragons were being slaughtered, it seemed we had made the right choice.” Zuko’s felt the blood rush to his face, and he dropped his head in shame. 

“Chief Tenoch,” he said. “What happened to the dragons...It was…” How could he explain? Zuko felt the weight of his family’s shame and he couldn’t force the words out. Tenoch reached out and placed a hand on Zuko’s shoulder. 

“None of that,” he said gently. “Remember, you’re family now.” That stung Zuko worse than anything. When Tenoch knew what his family had done, he and Aang would be lucky to be chased off the island. Still, he felt the Sun Warriors had the right to know.

“It was my family,” Zuko blurted. Tenoch blinked in surprise. Zuko plowed on. “My grandfather encouraged the hunting of dragons. And now they’re gone.” Tenoch was quiet for a long time. He settled on to the steps of the porch and motioned for Zuko to sit beside him. Hesitantly, Zuko did as he was bade. Together they watched the activity on the village square. 

“I have been chief of this village for nearly twenty years,” Tenoch said after a while. “I took over after my father died. Under him, you and Aang would have been executed on sight.” Zuko winced at that, but didn’t interrupt Tenoch. “I never thought taking such a hard line was good for anyone. So when, during my third year as chief, I was visited by strangers who could also bend fire, I was inclined to listen first and pass judgement later.

“Dragon hunters?” Zuko felt his chest tighten with protective anger. Tenoch chuckled and shook his head. 

“Perhaps at first,” he said. “But one of the strangers managed to get as far as you had gotten. He was so surprised to find us here that he decided he would rather learn more about us instead. Him I allowed to prove his worth to the masters, and he became the first outsider in many generations to learn the secrets of Ran and Shaw. He went back to his ship and told his men that there was nothing of value here.” 

“He  _ what _ ?” Zuko exclaimed. He was outraged. Nothing of value indeed!

“Calm yourself, Zuko,” Tenoch laughed. “He did it to protect us and the dragons. We gave him a dragon’s tooth- Ran’s I believe, from her last molt- to prove to the world that the last of the dragons was dead.” Zuko’s throat closed. It was a coincidence. It  _ had  _ to be. He swallowed hard and turned his gaze to Tenoch. 

“He...he said he killed the last dragon?” he asked. Tenoch shrugged. 

“I have no idea what he said,” he admitted. “Only that this man swore that he would make sure no one would come looking for us or the dragons. I see he kept his promise.” Zuko took a few deep breaths. 

“We’ll keep the secret, too,” Zuko swore. Tenoch smiled and patted Zuko’s back. 

“I know you will, young Prince Zuko.”

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

Aang and Zuko left as soon as their clothes were returned. The borrowed clothes they gave back to the Sun Warriors. They didn’t want to take any evidence of their trip with them, and Tenoch agreed it was wise. 

“But do come back to see us if you get the opportunity,” Tenoch said as he walked the boys back to the beach. They promised they would and said their final goodbyes to the chief and his guards. 

The sun had set long before, but since Appa was well rested, Zuko and Aang decided to head back to the Air Temple immediately. 

“I can’t wait to get back and really start learning,” Aang told Zuko. Zuko raised his brow in surprise. 

“You aren’t afraid anymore?” he asked. Aang lifted his chin and shook his head determinedly.

“I’m not.” He looked at his hands wistfully. “When we were on the mountain- when Ran and Shaw were… I saw balance in the flames.” 

“Balance?” Zuko leaned forward. 

“Balance,” Aang repeated. “I get what you were trying to tell me before about me needing to my anger. I try so hard to be at peace with everyone, that it got in the way of me being able to process the injustice. I need to use my anger to see when something’s wrong. I need to be able to love, but I need to accept my anger, too. Is that what you saw?” Zuko sighed and leaned back against the saddle to stare up at the stars.

“Not exactly,” he said. They flew through the night and made it back just as their friends were getting ready for breakfast. 

“Did you find what you were looking for?” Katara asked. Zuko and Aang exchanged a glance. 

“Yes,” Zuko said at last. Aang launched into the story they had prepared on their way back. They found a tablet among the ruins, too large to bring back, but containing the information they needed. 

“We found out about this form called the Dancing Dragon,” Aang explained excitedly. He made Zuko get up and demonstrate it for everyone. Sokka thought it was hysterical. 

“Great!” he laughed. “We can challenge Ozai to a dance off!” He got up and started moving around in a jerky, inaccurate imitation of the Dancing Dragon. Toph jumped up and joined Sokka, gleefully adding her own earthbending moves to it.

“No, no!” Aang said. “You’re doing it all wrong.” He showed his friends the steps again, and they followed him. Aang waved for Zuko to come over. 

“We need both of us,” he urged. Zuko started to decline, but Katara grabbed his hand and pulled him towards the others.

“Come on,” she said. “Show us how it’s done!” 

As Zuko led his friends- his new family- through the steps, he watched them laughing and joking, and he felt the flame inside him glow brighter. He knew then that he would never need to rely on his anger again. 

  
  
  


**Author's Note:**

> I thought this would be the last installment in this series, but apparently I have zero chill. I hope you enjoyed this! Leave a review! Share with your friends!


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